INTERNET PENETRATION AND THE ADOPTION OF TELEVISION STREAMING AMONG STAKEHOLDERS IN SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
The Internet has revolutionised the different sectors of the society, including the media industry. One of the innovative applications of the Internet to the media industry is television streaming- a process through which television stations upload daily programmes to their online platforms thereby enabling audiences to watch television programmes at their convenience. Without access to affordable Internet Service Providers’ services, data packages and Internet literacy skills, widespread adoption of television streaming may be a daunting task. The paucity of empirical research on streaming has undermined adequate planning in this sector. This study examined the extent to which Internet penetration has promoted the adoption of television streaming among stakeholders in South-West Nigeria.
Survey research design was adopted for this study. The population comprised 27,722,432 residents and 22 television stations in South-West Nigeria. Three states were selected using simple random sampling technique. Stratified sampling technique was used to stratify the local governments into metropolitan and non-metropolitan. Subsequently, four local governments were selected randomly from the metropolitan local governments. Three television stations were selected randomly after being stratified into privately, state and federally owned. The chief engineers were purposively chosen for interview because of their involvement with streaming technologies. Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill formula was used to arrive at the sample size of 1,613 respondents drawn from twelve wards. Validated questionnaire which was the major instrument complimented by interview guide were adopted for data collection. Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient values of the constructs were Internet penetration (0.782), television streaming (0.830), attitude (0.811), computer literacy (0.769), perceived usefulness (0.805) and ease of use (0.728), while 0.881 was obtained for the total scale. A total of 1,613 copies of questionnaire were administered, with a response rate of 95%. The data collected were analysed using inferential statistics: multiple and simple linear regression. Interview responses obtained were analysed under themes of the discourse.
Findings indicated that Internet penetration significantly influenced adoption of television streaming(R2=0.120, p<0.05). Also, Internet penetration when moderated by attitude, significantly influenced respondents’ adoption of television streaming(R2=0.193, p<0.05). Computer literacy skills, perceived usefulness and ease of use had individual significant influence on adoption of television streaming (R2=0.017, 0.132, 0.098 p<0.05). Respondents identified high cost of Internet data (50.9%) as a factor affecting adoption of television streaming.
The study concluded that Internet penetration influenced the adoption of television streaming. The study established that apart from Internet penetration, factors of perceived usefulness, ease of use and computer literacy would influence the adoption of television streaming. However, while there is increased Internet penetration, high cost of Internet data plans remains a challenge. The study recommended that the government and Internet Service Providers work towards achieving affordable Internet plans across the country. In addition, the federal government should reduce Internet licensing fee to encourage new investors and increase competition.
Keywords: Television streaming, Internet penetration, Computer literacy, Perceived usefulness, Ease of use.